French cinema in America

11 MAY 2013

The ColCoa, Tribeca and San Francisco Film Festivals presented many French films in their selections.

The City of Lights, City of Angels Film Festival took place from April 15 through April 22. It Happened in Saint-Tropez opened the event, in the presence of the film's director Danièle Thompson, who also gave a masterclass to an audience of professionals from the Directors' Guild of America. Jean-Pierre Améris (The Man Who Laughs), Stéphane Brizé (A Few Hours of Spring), Etienne Comar (Haute Cuisine producer), Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Anna Novion (Rendezvous in Kiruna), Lou de Laâge and Ziad Doueiri (The Attack), Philippe Godeau (11.6), Philippe Le Guay, Lambert Wilson and Anne Dominique Toussaint (Cycling with Molière) and Serge Toubiana, director of the Cinémathéque Française, all traveled to the event.. The Festival closed with Mobius by Eric Rochant.

Meanwhile, on the East Coast, the Tribeca Film Festival presented 5 French films. The World Narrative Competion featured Just a Sigh, in the presence of Jérôme Bonnell and Emmanuelle Devos, and Edouard Weill. In the Spotlight section: Cycling with Molière, in the presence of Philippe Le Guay, Lambert Wilson, and Anne-Dominique Toussaint, and Haute Cuisine. Mobius, accompanied by Cécile de France and Eric Rochant. was selected for the Special Screening section, presented in one of the festival's largest cinemas (the 900-seat BMCC Tribeca PAC), while Dark Touch featured in the Midnight sidebar, in the presence of Marina de Van and Patrick Sobelman. The latter film received its world premiere at Tribeca, garnering good reviews from American critics and a strong media presence.
The 5 French films played to full houses, attracting more than 4500 spectators in the festival's various cinemas, downtown or in Chelsea. We note that TWC will release Haute Cuisine later in the year. To date, the other titles are yet to find an American distributor.

The San Francisco International Film Festival presented Ernest & Celestine, in the presence of Benjamin Renner, Populaire in the presence of Régis Roinsard, Youth by Justine Malle, Fatal Assistance by Raoul Peck, Night Across the Street by Raoul Ruiz, Nights with Theodore by Sébastien Betbeder, The Pirogue by Moussa Touré, Something in the Air by Olivier Assayas, and Thérése Desqueyroux by Claude Miller. The festival's 56th edition welcomed more than 100 directors and attracted more than 70,000 spectators in two weeks. Education was a focus this year and schools and teachers were invited to various screenings. Thousands of students came to the event to see films. Benjamin Renner presented his film to sessions packed with young and curious spectators. He also had the opportunity of presenting his film to professionals at the Pixar and Skywalker studios, where he could expand on the process of creating the animation and sound for Ernest & Celestine. Students at San Francisco State University enjoyed Renner's masterclass about creating and realising an animation film. Ernest & Celestine has been bought by Gkids and will be released this winter on American screens.